Method of and apparatus for earth-boring.



H.R.HUG`HES METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS `FOR EARTH BORING.

APPLICATION FILED M-AYZI. |918.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918..

www1@ HOWARD R. Hunmemoz- Ho'WArm H. HUGHES, or HOUSTON, Texas.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR EARTH-BORING."

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Application med may 21, 191s. serial No. 235,767.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD R. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris county, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Methods of' and Ap aratus `for Earth-Boring,-of which the fo lowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for earth boring, with particular application to the drilling of horizontal holes with rotary drills. It has for its object the maintaining of the hole in a straight line ,and also the straightening of a hole already bored which has taken a curvedor crooked course.

In the drilling of wellsand tunnels or horizontal bores in the earth, the drill will sometimes be directed laterally from the straight Course which it is designed to follow and a crooked hole results. This may result from several causes; it may be because of fissures or crevices in the strata or because of unequalities in 'thedensity oi the material being drilled. An inclined strata of rock will sometimes cause the bit to take a direction inclined from the direction desired,

The drill stem ordinarily used for this sort of drilling is not sufliciently strong to prevent its being bent as the bit is diverted from its direct line and, as the drill takes a crooked course, the drill stern will bend sutilciently to accommodate itself tothe crooked hole. I have found that if the guide sleeve is positioned upon the drill stem in the rear of the drill the said drill stem maybe sufficiently strengthened and made steady so that the bit may not be easily diverted from its straight course. If the hole does becomecrooked, the correct positioning of a strengthening or guide sleeve will help to straighten it. A

With particular reference to the drawing forming a part of this speciiication and wherein similar characters of reference relate to like parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a side view showing an ordinary rotary disk drill operating in a crooked hole. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the use of my spacing or guide sleeve.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line Patented @013. 29, 11918.

3-3 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a similar secy tion on the line 4-4 of Fig 2. In the drawing I have s own my method of straightening a crooked hole'as applied particularly to a horizontal bore but it -is obvious that this method could be applied to a hole bored in any direction and especially to a vertical hole, and I do not wish to limit myself in the use of my method to 'a hole bored in any particular inclination or direction.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a -drill bit 12 of ordinary construction operating in a hole designated in the figure by the numeral 11.

The bit is attached to a hollow drill stemy 10, and is shown as being bent in the hole by the diversion of the bit from a direct line by inequalities in the material.

The operation of straightening the hole is accomplishedby the use of my guide sleeve 16. Ithas been'found by experiment that the use of one or more of these guide sleeves, properly positioned outside the drill stem 10, Will so'support the drill bit that it will be guided always in a direct line. IIhe eX- act point at which the guide sleeve should be placed upon the drill stem, in order to accomplish this result, can only be determined by experiment vand it is usually found Ithat more than one of the guide sleeves may be necessary to accomplish the result. @ne sleeve, however, if properly positioned is often sufficient. l p

The construction .of my guide sleeve is thought to be entirely novel. It consists of a cylindrical length of pipe of a size larger than the drill stem 10 and is adapted to fit exactly within the bore 11 drilled by the bit 12. The sleeve 16 is spaced from the drill stem and rigidly held in its proper spaced position outside the drill stem by several spacing blocks 17 of which I have shown four in number. These spacing blocks 17 are attached rigidly to the drill stem 10 and to the sleeve by means of bolts 18, shown in dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6. After the spacing sleeve hasbeen xed in place upon the drill stem radial holes 19 Aare bored through the outer sleeve 16 and the inner l lside of the spacing sleeve.

center of the hollow drill stem at a point midway between each of the spacing blocks as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The spaces 22 between the blocks 17 are adapted to furnish a backward course for the flushing Water used in the drilling operation.

In the operation of a drill, the rotating stem of which is provided with my guide sleeve 16, the sleeve will, as shown, rotate with the drill stem. To prevent the sticlcing of the sleeve within the hole, streams of the flushing water within the drill stem will be forced laterally through the holes 20 and 19 and thus act as a sort of lubricant for the rotatin sleeve. As the drill bit is fed forwardly 1n the drilling operation, earth and other vdisintegrated matter will be carried baekwardly by the flushing water through the channels 22 within the guide sleeve and will thus be carried outwardly toward the surface. It occasionally hapens that the force of the returning current 1s not sufficient to prevent the clogging of the passages 22 and in order that at least one of the passages may be retainedalways open, a slot 21 is cut longitudinally in one This slot is preferably of a length somewhat shorter than the sleeve andstopping just short of each end of said sleeve as shown in Fig. Il. The slot may, however, be the full length of the sleeve if desired. Each lateral lip 23 at'the side of the slot is bent inwardly somewhat as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. If it is found thatl the channels 22 are becoming clogged the drill stem 10 is reciprocated in the bore hole and it is found that any matter clogged Within the longitudinal slot 21 will be worked longitudinally by said recip,A

rocation out of the channels 22 and open up the hole thus again allowing the passage ot` the flushing water.

This guide sleeve may be used as a means of preventing the drill from deviating from the direct line and also as a means of straightening the hole after the same has become crooked. In using this device to straighten the hole the bit is withdrawn from the well and detached from the drill stem. The spacing sleeve is then fitted over the end of the drill stem to a point somewhat to the rear of the forward end of the stem and is there attached, the spacing blocks being inserted within the sleeve and upon the drill stem. rll`he blocks are retained .in place by the fastening bolts. In the sides of the passages, formed between the spacing blocks, radial holes 19 and 2O are then bored for the purpose described. The bit is then again attached to the end of the drill stem and is inserted into the well. The spacing sleeve, being set somewhat to the rear of the bit, will hold the bit in a direct lineso that when the bend in the hole is reached the bit will still bev held in a straight line and will bore a straight hole.

The use of this spacing sleeve, or a number of these spacing sleeves, upon the drill stem during the, drilling operation will serve to malntain the bit in its correct position and will avoid any lateral deviationdue to any inequalities in the material being operated upon.

laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is:

1.` In a device of the character described, a drill stein, a guide sleeve thereon, and spacing blocks between said drillstem and said sleeve, said stem and said sleeve having perforations therein.

2. In a device of the character described, a drill stem, a cylindrical guide sleeve spaced outside said stem, spacing blocks forming channels between said sleeve and said stem, and radial perforations in said sleeve and said stem.

3. A guide sleeve for rotary boring drills comprising a short length of casing of a size adapted to fit the hole being drilled, spacing blocks to space the sleeve from the vdrill stem, and rows of radial perforations in said sleeve.

4. A guide sleeve for rotary boring drills comprising a short length of casing adapted to snugly fit the hole being drilled, and spacing blocks attached interiorly of said sleeve, said sleeve having rows of perforations therein between said blocks.

5. A rotary drill stem, a guide sleeve therefor comprislng a sleeve outside said stein, and spacing blocks attached rigidly to said sleeve and to said stem, said stem and said sleeve having registering radial perforationstherein for the purpose described.

6. A rotary drill stern, a guide sleeve therefor, comprising a short length of casing adapted to t closely within the hole being bored, spacing means by which said sleeve is attached to said stern, said stem and said sleeve having perforations therein.

7. A guide sleeve for a rotary drill stem, said sleeve adapted uto be spaced outside said stem, said sleeve having longitudinal rows of perforations therein, and a longitudinal slot on one side thereof for the purpose described.

8. A spacing and guide sleeve for rotary boring drills comprising a short length of casing adapted to be spaced outside the drill stem, said sleeve having rows of perforations and a longitudinal slot therein, said slot havingl inwardly curving lips on both sides thereof for the purpose described.

9. A method 0f Straightening a crooked hole comprising withdrawing and detaching the drill from the drill stem, placin on said drill stem e means adapted to main ain Said `stem in a straight line, reattaching the drill to the stem, and when the crooked point is 5 assed, continuing the drilling -operation as efore.

10. A. vmethod of straightening a crooked hole in earth boring,'comprising Withdraw- 1 meme@ ing and detaching the'ldrill from the drill stem, spacing outslde the drill stem a sleeve 10` adapted tomaintain. the drill in a straight line, again attaching the hit and proceeding with thedrilling operation as before. l,

In testimony whereof, I hereunto at my signature this the 18 day of May, 1918.

, HOWARD R. HUGHES. 

